Identification plate holder



NEW .3, 1931. w. B. WOOD I 1,830,729

IDENTIFICATION PLATE HOLDER Filed Nov. 26, 1950 Patented Nov53, 1931 WILLIAM B. WOOD, OF CATQNSVILLE, MARYLAND i IDENTIFICATION PLATE 1101mm;

Application filed November as, 1930. serial n6, 498,477.

The present invention is a tag holder and is designed particularly to support automobile license plates or tags in a manner which prevents-thefts or illegal use thereof without easy detection.

The object of the present invention is the provision of a very simple device of the above character which can be easily and readily manufactured at a very low cost and which 19 can be applied .to automobiles, and in turn, have a tag secured to it by unskilled persons, but which cannotbe removed from the automobile, or permit the tag to be removed from it, by sawing, drilling, cutting or other convenient tools, either by authorized or unau thorized persons, without destroying the tag, or so mutilating it that further use would be detected; I

With theseand other objects in view, which latter will be apparent from the following description, the invention resides in the construction, combination and arrangement of 'partsand the sundry details thereof, which 3 will be more fully described and pointed out in the appended claims. v

In the drawings which show the preferred embodiment of-the invention as at present devised:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a tag sup-"- tion' +Fi gur6 2 is a vertical section view taken substantially on line 2-2 of Figure 1 and showing the detailed construction of the tag ported by the device of the present invenholding devi ces;

- Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary per fspective view of the parts of one of the holding devices, and showing the parts in disassembled relation and b Figure 4 is aperspective of the locking olt.

'Referrin in detail to the drawings, the invention roadly resides in, at least, two backing membersor brackets extending be- 5 tween opposite edges of, and lying flat against an identifying tag orplate, the ends of said members having non-releasable and non-detachable means associated therewith v for clamping or fastening'saidedges ofthe v tag to said backing members so that said tag, can not be removed from the backing members without mutilating the tag; and, further, in securing each of said backing members toil supporting member in such a 7 way they cannot be removed therefrom without severing the tag, say, along line w-a, of Figure 1, so that each backing member may be moved independently relatively to eac other, itbeing, of course, understood that allf'ofthe parts are of case-hardened metal or of such other character that they can not be readily sawed, broken, chiselled or drilled.

One form of the invention is herewith illustrated and comprises, as backing members'or brackets, two metal strips 10 of such width and thickness, as willstrength and rigidity to itself and permit threaded openings 11 to be inadei therein. The strips 10 are of such length as will extendacross the tag or plate 12 betweenv opposite edges thereof according to the manner the tag is supported. It is customary to support automobile license tags from either their upper or lower horizontal edges and, therefore, the

strips 10 are here shown extending between these edges of the tag and arranged on opposite sides of the identifying portion thereof. Each end of the-strips 10 has a clamp member 13 associated therewith and which consists of a body of metal'of substantial width and. thickness and having a central opening 14 therein countersunk, as at14a, on the outer face of said clamp for receiving the head of a locking bolt 15 which passes through said opening. The bottom face of the countersink 14a is provided with a serration of teeth 146 which may be of ratchet formation and the inner face of the bolt head 15a is provided'with a complemental series 9 of teeth 156 which cooperate'with a. canted split lock washer 16. v The inner face of each clamp 13 is preferably formed with a groove or depression 17 for receiving the bead or rib 18 usually provided on the marginal edges of the tag or plate 12 and is, further, provided with a laterally extending flange or lip 19 to extend over or around the edge of the tag and the ,end of the strip 10 to prevent the'sh'ank 20 1 formed integral therewith, welded or otherwise non-removably secured thereto. These shanks 20 are threadedly received in open ings 21 formed in a support bar or other part, which is secured to the automobile or which, preferably, forms part of the automobile structure. A jam nut 23 binds the shank in the opening 21. There may be two or more openings 21 sopositioned as to permit the backing strips 10 to be arranged at different distances apart to meet the needs or conditions presented and so that they may be aligned with the openings 24 usually provided in the tag for attachment purposes.

The locking bolt 15 has a projection 25 extending from the head 15a thereof for the purpose of enabling it to be turned up into lockin position by a wrench, pliers or the like. However, the projection 25 is connected to the head 15a bv a reduced. breakable neck 26. which will be twisted off when bolt 15 has been fully tightened, or Which- 12: and then tighten the iam nut 23 and applv the tag 12 against the backing members 10 as shown in Figure 1. The clamps 13 are then arranged in place and securely fastened and held in clamping position by inserting bolts 15 through the openings 14 thereof and screwing them up tightly into the openings 11 of said members 10. r After heads 15a of the bolts have been brought flush with the clamps 13, the tool engaging projection 25 thereof is broken oif.

cred, preferably, along the line a-a in Figure 1, and then each backing member 10 may be rotated and threaded-out of the opening F 21 of the supporting bar 22 and discardedl Two or more of the backing members 10 may be used, as desired.

In the embodiment shown, the shanks 20 of the brackets 10 are held against detachable rotatable movement from the support 22, when the plate 12 is clamped thereto, by reason of being secured thereto at two spaced points by the clamping means described, as well as by the flange or lip 19, or the groove and rib 17. But, of course, it will be understood that, it is within the scope of the invention not to have the backing members or brackets 10 extend fully across the plate 12, or object clamped, from edge to edge thereof, and to employ only one clamping means with each bracke Y While the invention has been described in connection with tags or plates it is to be understood that it is within the purview of the invention to use the means and instrumentalities herein described and shown in connection with other devices and objectswithin the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A holder for identification plates comprising two or more backing members arranged side by side to have an identification plate lie thereagainst, means on each of said members for attaching it to and detaching it from a supporting member by rotatable movement of said members, said members being capable of extending across the area of the plate bearing the videntification marks, and non-detachable means for fastening said plate/to each 'end portion of said ba'cking members.

2. A holder for identification plates comprising a pair of spaced backing members adapted to have the plate lie fiat thereagainst and to extend across the plate between opposite edges thereof, a threaded element non-removable on each of said members and receivable in. threaded openings in a support, and non-detachable means "for clamping said edges of the plate to the ba'cking members.

3. 'A holder for'identification plates comprising a pair of spaced backing members adapted tohave the plate lie flat thereagainst and to extend across the plate between oppositeedges thereof, threaded lateral shanks on said ,backing members receivable in threaded openings in a support, 'non-detachable means for'clamping said edges of the plate to the backing members, said clamping means including a plurality .of clamping members each having a countersunk opening therein, a headed bolt for each clamping member and extending through the opening therein and threaded in said backing members to clamp the plate between the latter and theclamp members respectively, and a fragile tool engaging projection on each bolt and breakable when the heads of the bolts are in their respective countersinks.

4. A holder for identification plates comprising, in'combination, a supporting member having a plurality of spaced threaded openings therein, a pair of metal strips having threaded projections thereon receivable in said opening of the supporting member, said strips being of a length to extend across a surface of an identification plate between opposite edges thereof and having threaded openings in the end portions thereof, clamping members adapted to engage the other face of the plateiand one for each end portion of said strips, said clamping members having countersunk openings therein, a bolt extending through the opening of each clamping member and threadedly engaging in the opening in said strips, said bolt having a breakable tool-engaging portion to be broken when the heads of thebolts are flush in said countersinks, whereby the identifica tion plate is clamped firmly in position at opposite edges thereof, all of said parts being of hardened metal.

5. An identification tag holder and clamp of the kind described in claim 4, further characterized by the inner surface of the clamping member having a groove or depression for receiving a rib or other projection on said. plate.

6. An anchorage of the character described comprising two or more brackets arranged to lie on one side of an object to be anchored thereto, means on each of said brackets for attaching it to and detaching it from a support by a rotatable movement of said bracket, andclamping means arranged to lie on the other side of said object to clamp said object between said clamping means and said brackets, said clamping means including non-detachable fastener elements extending therefrom and non-detachably securing the clamping means to said brackets, said brackets being nonrotatable with respect to the object clamped when the parts are in assembled object clamping position.

7. An anchorage of the character described comprising two or more brackets arranged to lie on one side of an object to be anchored thereto and having each a threaded opening therein, means on each of said bra'cketsfor attaching it to and detaching it from a support by a rotatable movement of said bracket. a plurality of clamping members each having a countersunk opening therein, a headed. bolt for member and extending through the opening therein and threaded in said opening in one of said brackets to clamp the object to be anchored between the brackets and said clamp members, respectively, a destructible tool engaging portion on each bolt to be destroyed when the heads of the bolts are in their respective countersinks, the construction of said parts being such as to hold the respective brackets against detachable rotative movement from a support, when the parts are in assembled clamping position and an object is clamped to said brackets.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set each clamping y no 

